


Here To Stay

by LightLeadingMe



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Tropes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-05-19 03:20:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19348465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightLeadingMe/pseuds/LightLeadingMe
Summary: Fat Amy and Aubrey move in together following the aftermath of the USO Tour. They learn things about each other they never knew and easily fall into a domestic lifestyle.**UPDATE: RATING HAS CHANGED TO M**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank to my love, Ahleah, for the prompt. I asked for a plot for a oneshot and it turned into a chaptered fic xD

Beca entered the tiny apartment she shared with Chloe and Fat Amy, but was only able to take two steps before she fell over some cardboard boxes, screaming expletives on the way down. She sat up with a huff, propped up on her hands and looked around to see boxes littering the entire floor, a harsh glare set in her eyes. 

"Amy!" she shrieked, moving to stand up as she dusted herself off.

"Beca?" a muffled voice called out from the direction of Amy's area of the apartment. "Oh thank God! I've been trapped for two hours and I have to pee!"

Beca rolled her eyes and started to kick boxes out of her way, making very little progress in getting to the Australian. "Why are all these boxes here? What is going on?" She grabbed an empty box from the hallway between the bathroom and Amy's small space and threw it carelessly back into the living room/bedroom/kitchen. She turned and found Amy under a few tipped over boxes, half of her mattress blocking the entryway. "Oh shit, are you okay?"

"Yeah," the blonde sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "Just have to pee really bad!"

Shoving the mattress out of the way, Beca started pushing the boxes filled with miscellaneous items toward an empty wall so she could get to Amy. She grabbed her outstretched hand and hauled back, helping Amy to her feet. "Seriously, dude, what is going on?"

Once she was sturdy on her feet, Amy rushed past the shorter girl towards the bathroom. "Hold that thought!"

Beca took in the area around her, noting all the sentimental items Amy was packing in boxes. Three suitcases were filled with clothes and bathroom items and the heavy, open boxes that she had to move to rescue Amy were filled with photo albums and old school books. She frowned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and turned when she heard the toilet flush. "Amy?"

Amy slowly walked back into the room, wiping her still soapy hands on her jeans. Her face was pensive, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She avoided her best friend's gaze and settled for busying herself with a few stray items that littered the floor. "I was hoping to be done before you got home, but then the boxes turned on me and I fell and was trapped and..." 

Beca started to piece together the signs that were right in front of her face. Her stomach dropped and her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you moving out?" 

The air was thick as they stood in silence, Beca staring at Amy's guilty face and Amy staring at her partially packed bedroom. "I have all this money now," she started to say meekly. She glanced up and caught Beca's eye with a smile. "Aubrey called and said she's applied for training to be a doula in the city so I offered she move in with me."

"You already found a place?" 

Amy nodded with a slight shrug. "Upper east side. Not to brag, but it's kind of huge. Two bedroom, two bathrooms, fireplace... It's gorgeous."

Beca crossed her arms over her chest and contemplated her best friend for a few moments. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Rolling her eyes, Amy gestured around them. "Well, you're all caught up with recording your debut album and Chloe is losing her mind, working crazy hours in vet school. We barely see each other anymore."

"So what, I was just supposed to come home to find all your shit gone?"

Amy narrowed her eyes at the attitude. "Why are you mad at me? I thought you'd be happy. Besides, I know you and Chloe are looking at apartments anyway."

Beca's jaw dropped for a moment, gawking at the blonde's knowledge of her secret apartment shopping. "How do you know about that?"

"Beca, I've know you for almost seven years. I know all your passwords. I saw your browser history."

She said it so nonchalantly that Beca scowled, but she honestly was not surprised. "Nothing is set in stone," she said softly. "Chloe's classes and the animal clinic are like two blocks from the recording studio so it would be easier to move in that are instead of taking two trains and walking eight blocks. But we were going to ask you to come with us. We would have plenty of space."

Amy smiled and shook her head, reaching out to grab the other Bella's hand. "Thanks, but no thanks. I've already walked in on one too many Bechloe moments."

"Be-what?"

"Anyway," she continued, moving around the brunette to put some more stuff in boxes. "Aubrey and I are excited to live together. We already bought the furniture and a few art pieces."

"Wow. So this is really happening." Beca said finally. "You're really moving out."

Amy turned to face her again. "I am."

They stared at each other for a long moment, Amy's face slowly beginning to break. Beca's eyes widened with a mixture of sadness and anger. "Don't do this again."

"What?"

"I will tit punch you if you cry."

"I'm not!" Amy sobbed out, trying to keep her face from scrunching up even further.

"Amy!" Beca scolded, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Goddamn it!" She reached out and pulled the girl towards her, hugging her tightly as they silently cried together, commemorating their last day as roommates. 

They only broke apart when they heard the front door open followed by the crashing of boxes and a loud "What the fuck!" sounding from Chloe, causing the emotionally distraught girls to laugh.

* * *

Aubrey entered the living room of her new apartment with her arms full of various decorations. She maneuvered around the sofa that was placed in front of the huge fireplace and set down a vase in the middle of the coffee table. She frowned, eyeing the placement of the vase before sliding it down to the left of the table and setting down a stack of magazines. She stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest, biting her lip in contemplation.

"For godsakes, they're flowers!" Amy grumbled sleepily from the couch. "When is dinner?"

Aubrey glared at her roommate and leaned down to shift the magazines an inch to the right. "Decoration is important, Amy. I refuse to rest until everything is exactly where it needs to be."

Amy smacked a hand over her face and closed her eyes. "I am so going to regret this." She shrieked when a hand smacked her leg and peeked through her fingers to see Aubrey walking past her to go into the spacious kitchen. "That hurt!" she whined. When no retort came from the kitchen, Amy sighed and rolled herself off the couch, nearly missing the coffee table on her way down. She crawled through the living room and through the archway to the kitchen, looking for her friend.

A snort sounded from the direction of the stove. "What are you doing?" Aubrey giggled.

"What?" She sat against the cabinets beside the stove and looked up. "I did enough cardio for the past two days to last me a year. My legs are like jelly."

Aubrey stirred the noodles she was making in the pot and glanced down at Amy. "A few months ago, you took on like ten men at once and _this_..." she gestured to their newly moved in apartment, "is what exhausts you?" 

"That was a whole different kind of cardio. I could do that any day. It was voluntary."

"And moving in wasn't?"

"Not after the second time I had to climb those fucking stares, no."

Aubrey laughed and shook her head, turning the burner off and moving the pot over to the sink where the strainer sat. "Can you at least stand up long enough to get some bowls so we can eat?"

Grumbling, Amy pulled herself up using the counter top and Aubrey's leg, smirking at the girl's shouts about spilling boiling hot water on herself. Once she was fully standing, she reached up, wincing at her sore arms and pulled out two bowls. She turned to open the drawer of silverware when a sharp pain hit her right in the middle of her forehead. "Ow!" she exclaimed. She gawked at Aubrey who was grinning wickedly, realizing the tall blonde flicked her in the forehead. "Oh it's on."

She set down the bowls and lunged for Aubrey, but the agile woman dodged her at the last second and Amy put her hands out to catch herself on the refrigerator. She spun around and Aubrey stuck her tongue out from where she stood by the kitchen table. They stared each other down for a few moments, Amy swearing she could hear the theme song to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in the distant background. She felt her hand twitch at her side and then in a flash she charged for her, chasing her down the hall towards the bedrooms, both girls shouting unintelligibly the entire way. They reached Aubrey's bedroom and she tried slamming the door in Amy's face, but Amy was too quick, bursting past the closing door. The shorter woman tackled Aubrey to the bed, screams echoing in the large apartment. They rolled around playfully until Amy finally gained control, straddling the smaller woman's waist and pinning her wrists to the bed. 

"Now what?" she challenged. "Whatcha gonna do?" 

Aubrey narrowed her eyes and bucked her hips up, making Amy lose balance and fall to the side. What she didn't plan on was Amy to keep hold of her wrists so they both tumbled off the bed and on to the hard wood flooring beneath. 

"I did not plan that well," Aubrey groaned, rubbing her sore hip as she rolled on to her back.

Amy grunted and sat up, rubbing her head that hit the nightstand on the way down. "Fuck, that's gonna bruise."

They both sat there in silence, nursing their injuries and then caught each other's eyes before bursting out in laughter. Shaking her head, Aubrey stood up and reached down to help Amy stand. They linked arms and walked back to the kitchen, giggling hysterically. 

"Shall I put on a movie so we can finally relax and eat?" Aubrey asked once their bowls were filled with noodles and red sauce. Amy followed her into the living room, her mouth already full of pasta, and nodded vigorously, making Aubrey smile.

They sat on the couch and Aubrey flipped on the large TV mounted on the wall above the fireplace. They channel surfed for a while, Amy gathering them second helpings of dinner until finally settling on some corny Lifetime movie. When their bowls were empty, Aubrey stood and went to the kitchen to do the dishes. Amy leaned back against the sofa, feeling her body relax into the soft cushions as the movie played on. Her eyes began to grow heavy, but she forced them to stay open, wanting to know how the movie ends. Aubrey came back into the room a few minutes later and lifted Amy's legs from the couch before sitting down and letting the blonde rest her legs on her lap. Within minutes, both girls were fast asleep.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the address?" 

Beca rolled her eyes at her redheaded friend, but glanced at her phone one more time just to make sure. "Yes. This is the address Amy sent yesterday." She dug around in her purse and pulled out a set of keys, looking for the gold one with the initials "FA" taped on them and stuck them in the building's door. 

"She gave you a key?" Chloe asked incredulously. "Why have we been standing out here for ten minutes in the rain if she gave you a key?"

"Will you chill out? It's for emergencies only and since neither of them are answering their phone or the door..." She pushed the door open and they quickly shuffled inside, wiping their high heels boots on the welcome mat. 

The two bellas took the steps up to the fourth floor, both slightly out of breath when they finally reached it and searched the passing door numbers for 4C. 

"Found it!" Chloe exclaimed, waving Beca down from the other end of the hall. She snatched the key from the brunette and shoved it in the keyhole.

"Shouldn't we knock-" Beca started to suggest, but Chloe already had the door open and was walking through. Sighing, Beca followed her and closed the door behind her.

"Aubs? Ames?" Chloe called out, throwing her scarf down on the entryway table that held a bowl filled with mail. 

Beca regarded the apartment for a moment, looking for signs that this was actually Aubrey and Amy's apartment, her anxiety getting the best of her. She slowly followed Chloe down the hallway to the kitchen, sighing in relief when she saw the various pictures of the Bellas covering the refrigerator. Her heart pulled, the alt girl immediately missing all of her friends. She was distracted by Chloe suddenly appearing next to her with a huge smile on her face. 

"Oh-em-gee, you have to see this!" She grabbed Beca's arm and dragged her into the spacious living room, practically skipping.

Beca surveyed the apartment, very impressed with the work the girls put into it in the past few days. "Wow, this is beautiful," she commented. "Look at that view!"

"Not that!" Chloe scoffed and then pointed to the couch. "Look at these cuties!"

Beca turned her attention to the two sleeping forms on the couch and raised her eyebrows in suspicion. "What's this?" she grinned.

Amy and Aubrey were cuddled up on the couch, Aubrey resting her face in Amy's bosom, both sound asleep. Chloe moved to wake them up, but Beca held her hand out to stop her and then reached into her back pocket to pull out her phone. She snapped a few pictures of the two women and immediately sent them to the Bella group chat before nodding to Chloe to go ahead and wake them up. Her phone vibrated in her hand, signalling a new message and she smirked when she saw a few responses to the photos.

**Cynthia-Rose:** _What a beautiful thing to wake up to._

**Emily:** _OM-aca-G, precious!_

**Stacie:** _About damn time._

Locking her phone, Beca crossed her arms and watched as Aubrey sat up, confusion on her face. "What's going on?" she yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Why are you guys-how did you...?"

"Beca used the key Amy gave her to get in because you guys weren't answering your phones or the door," Chloe explained with a warm smile. "Why are you two sleeping on the couch? When I talked to you yesterday you said that your bedroom was done and the only thing left was the living room. Totes gorgeous, b-t-dubs."

"Yeah," Aubrey still looked confused, glancing at Amy who was slowly sitting up beside her. "Yeah, no, we finished the bedrooms, but I guess we were so exhausted that we fell asleep on the couch."

Amy rubbed at her eyes and squinted at the redhead and brunette who were grinning at her in her living room. "Oi, what are those faces for?" she asked grouchily. 

Beca forgot how unpleasant Amy was if she was woken up before eleven am. "You asked us to bring by the last of your things," Beca reminded the Australian. A realization dawned on music producer and she grumbled, stomping her foot. "Damn it! I left it at home."

"What?" Chloe shrieked. "You literally had one job!"

"I left it by the door because _someone_ was yelling at me about running late..."

"We have an appointment at 10 with the realtor!" Chloe defended.

"Oh my God." Amy fell back against the couch, covering her face with a pillow as the two girls started to argue. "Tell mom and dad to stop fighting, please."

Aubrey stood up and interrupted the shouting match before it could even begin. "Ladies," she said over the bickering. "Just bring the box by when we have our dinner party next week! All the girls RSVP'd!"

"Oh that's so exciting!" Chloe exclaimed, clapping her hands joyously. "Bella reunion!" She and Aubrey squealed together, holding hands and giggling.

Beca stared at the interaction with a scowl on her face, but amusement in her eyes and Amy continued to complain about the noise level, her face still underneath the pillow. Aubrey reached over and snatched the pillow off the girl's face, swinging it down so it hit her on the chest. Amy shouted and sat up so quick, all three girls took a step back, remembering what their friend was capable of.

"Yeah, that's right," she said with a grin. "Fear me, aca-bitches." She turned and walked out of the living room towards her bedroom as the girls stared after her.

"Uhh, I shouldn't be worried I'm now living with her, right?" Aubrey asked the two girls.

Beca and Chloe looked at each other and then at Aubrey. "Ehhhhh..." Chloe said skeptically, but Beca waved at hand of dismissal at her.

"No, she's fine!" she said with a laugh. "Amy is totally chill. Doesn't do much around the house and you know she will protect you if there's an intruder, but uhh, maybe don't force her to wake up until she's ready and make sure you always have a fresh pot of coffee ready in the morning." 

Aubrey nodded, taking the information to heart. "Got it."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Aubrey stepped back into the water spouting down from the shower head, letting the shampoo rinse from her hair, humming happily to herself. She and Amy had been living together for three days now and so far everything was going okay. Aubrey didn't start her doula classes until the fall so she had gotten a job as a manager of a coffee shop across the street from their building and Amy still had her one woman show, "Fat Amy Winehouse" that occupied most of her day. They usually didn't see each other until the evening, something that worked out very well for them. Usually when Amy came home, Aubrey was in the kitchen making dinner and the two would chat about their day before sitting down at the table to eat and then retire to the living room to watch TV. They were easily falling in to a domestic routine, something that Aubrey realized was very comforting and never something she realized that she needed until now.

She let a small smile break out and was about to part her lips to sing the chorus of "This 'Ol House" when the shower curtain suddenly opened and the misty image of Fat Amy appeared next to her. The taller blonde screamed and covered as much of her body as she could manage with only two hands and a loofa. "Amy! What the hell?"

Not at all phased by the Bella's lack of clothing, Amy just stood before her, her hip cocked out with attitude and her arms crossed over her chest. "Did you eat the last piece of chocolate cake?"

Aubrey gawked at her, wracking her brain to figure out why this conversation could not have waited until she was fully dressed. "What?"

" _My chocolate cake_ ," the Australian enunciated. "There was one piece left last night and now it's gone. There are only two people living in this house, Brey. And I sure as hell didn't eat it!"

"Yes, you did!" Aubrey exclaimed as she reached for the shower curtain and pulled it towards her to shield her nude form. "You came into the kitchen really late last night while I was making tea and grabbed the last piece before going back to bed!"

Amy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh likely story. Flip it around to make it seem like I practically sleep-walked into the kitchen and ate the last piece myself. I think I would remember that!"

"You have chocolate icing on your mouth still, Amy!" 

The girl frowned and stuck her tongue out to the side of her mouth to taste chocolate icing. Images of eating the last piece of cake in her bed before falling asleep last night came rushing back and a blush rose up her neck to her cheeks. "Oh."

Aubrey shook her head and looked down at herself and then back at Amy. "Can I please finish my shower in peace now?"

Amy blinked and looked at the running water behind Aubrey and the pink color of embarrassment in her cheeks. "Are you embarrassed that I've seen you naked?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She watched Aubrey gawk for words and smiled warmly at her. "Cause you shouldn't be. You've got a great body, Brey." And with that she left the bathroom, purposefully leaving the door wide open.

Aubrey momentarily stared after the retreating form of her roommate, swearing she saw the Bella put an extra sway in her hips. She shook her head, sure she was imaging things and closed the curtain again to resume her shower.

* * *

 Later on that day, Amy was hunched over the top of a grocery cart while Aubrey grabbed items from the shelves and placed them in the basket. The Australian was less than amused about being in the grocery store for more than twenty minutes. Aubrey was insistent that they go today since they both had the day off and Amy grouched the entire time. She wanted to be on the couch, doing absolutely nothing for the entire day, but Aubrey was still intimidating and whatever Aubrey wanted, Aubrey got. It didn't deter Amy from complaining, though.

"Can we get some-"

"No."

Amy glared at the back of the blonde's head. "Why-"

"Because it's bad for you."

"I'll have you know-"

"If I find it in the house again, I will personally dump it over your head and make you clean it up."

A pout formed on Amy's lips. She was craving more chocolate cake, but after the morning's incident, Aubrey banned chocolate cake from the house, especially after she called Beca about it and the brunette informed her that she once had to hide a camera in the kitchen to prove to Amy that she sleep-eats. 

They continued on down the aisle, Amy pushing the cart a little too close to Aubrey's feet. When Aubrey paused in front of a shelf suddenly, Amy didn't have time to stop the cart before she rammed it into the girl's ankles. 

"Ow, shit!" Aubrey exclaimed, leaning down to rub her now bruised leg. "That's it, I'm steering the cart!"

"Wha- I'm sorry!" Amy said quickly, gripping the cart tightly as Aubrey stalked over to wrench it from her hands. "How was I supposed to know you'd make a dead stop?"

"Hand over the cart, Amy," she demanded. "That's the third time you've run into me."

"Well if you would walk like a normal person..." Amy grumbled as she stepped aside to let Aubrey take over.

"I am walking like a normal person," Aubrey defended as she pushed on. "You've been on my ass the entire time we've been here!"

"I don't want to get lost!"

"What, are you four?"

They didn't notice the amused faces of shoppers around them until a woman chuckled and they spun to face her in confusion. The woman shook her head and held her hands up. "Sorry," she said. "You two are just an adorable couple."

Both girls flustered at the comment and glanced at each other. "Oh, we're not-" Aubrey gestured between the two of them.

"We're just roommates," Amy explained, shaking her head with a nervous grin.

The woman eyed them with a smirk. "Uh huh..." She winked and then turned to walk down the opposite end of the aisle.

Aubrey and Amy glanced at each other again and then looked away, returning to the grocery shopping task in an awkward silence. 

When they pushed the cart up to the check out line, Amy finally looked into the basket to view the items they had to put on the conveyor belt and dropped her jaw. "Holy shit, there's only two of us, Brey. Who is all this food for?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes and started to put the food on the belt. "Did you forget we are having a dinner on Saturday? All the girls are coming over to see the new apartment."

Amy raised her eyebrows and clicked her tongue. "Right, yes. Totally remember that."

"Sure you do."

* * *

After dinner, the roommates sat on the couch and began to make some small talk as they searched for a show to watch. They got on the topic of exes when they saw a commercial for a dating website and a question that lingered in Aubrey's mind for months now was suddenly blurted out.

"What happened with you and Bumper?"

The nonchalant aura of the room suddenly changed and Amy's face became stoic. She kept her eyes on the television and fiddled with the remote. "Uh, you know," she shrugged. "We wanted different things, I guess."

Aubrey frowned, tilting her head as she eyed the Australian. "Different things? Like what?"

Amy brought a hand to her forehead and began to rub back and for between her eyes uncomfortably, her eyes darting around the room. "You know, like... He wanted to get married and have kids and I... Well, I didn't."

Not noticing how uncomfortable the conversation was making her friend, Aubrey pressed on. "You didn't?" she repeated in wonderment. "But when we talked about our futures around the bonfire, you said you would love to see yourself engaged to Bumper and-"

 "-And things change. I was wrong. Okay? Can we drop this?" Her tone changed and Amy blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to push her feelings down.

"How did things change?" Aubrey asked, turning in her spot to face her. "You guys were together for two years. Not including the four years you fooled around." At Amy's surprised look, Aubrey nodded with a knowing smile. "I know you two were screwing that first year, Ames. I'm not an idiot."

Amy couldn't help but stare in shock at her roommate. "You didn't say anything."

Aubrey shrugged, turning her eyes to the TV for a moment. "You were valuable to the team."

"And Beca wasn't?"

"Beca's attitude pissed me off. She was definitely right, and I've admitted that, but I didn't want her to be right so I fought her the entire time. You, on the other hand, for the most part you followed the rules and did what I asked without question. And you weren't dating Bumper then, you were just fucking him."

Amy narrowed her eyes and frowned. "So you knew exactly why I had Bumper's number when the bus broke down," she concluded. "You just wanted to mess with me?"

Aubrey laughed, remembering the moment from their past. "Kinda, ya. I wanted to see how much you would admit. Apparently, you're very good at keeping secrets, but horrible about being discrete." She realized they were getting off track and cleared her throat. "So, what exactly changed in those two years? I thought you guys were so happy together. I mean, you two were all over each other when we all took that vacation to Mexico."

"Brey, I really don't want to talk about this," Amy said quietly, looking down at her fingers as she anxiously picked at them.

"Why not? I told you my secrets."

"You sleeping with Uni was not a secret."

Ignoring that comment, Aubrey continued. "Come on, please? We're roommates! We should be able to tell each other everything. Beca knows all about you-"

"Beca doesn't know shit," Amy interrupted harshly. "I asked you to please drop it, Aubrey. I don't want to talk about Bumper." 

Aubrey watched as Amy abruptly stood up and left the living room, clearly upset. She listened closely to see where she was going and sighed when she heard Amy's bedroom door slam shut. "Way to go, Brey," she mumbled to herself. She turned off the TV and pushed herself off the couch to go apologize. Knocking on the door of Amy's room, she softly called out, "Amy? Can I come in?" 

She waited, listening for a response, but none came. Aubrey put her hand on the door knob and slowly turned, surprised that it was unlocked. She pushed the door open and peeked her head inside to see Amy lying on the bed on her back, her forearm draped over her eyes. She stepped into the room cautiously and sat on the edge of the bed. "Ames, I'm sorry for pushing," she said, reaching a hand out and rubbing it along Amy's legging covered calf. "You asked me to stop, twice, and I ignored you and for that I'm sorry. Beca told me you were fine after the breakup, so I was confused as to why you wouldn't tell me what happened. I thought you didn't care."

Amy chuckled humorlessly from beneath her arm. "Didn't care?" she repeated, her voice thick with emotion. She sighed and dropped her arm, revealing her pinched face and tear filled eyes. "I love him, Aubrey. I'll always love him." She looked over at the silent blonde. "But deep down I knew something was never right. We were too dependent on the physical part of our relationship. We never talked, like _really_ talked and it caused a lot of fighting. And one day the arguing reached a point that neither of us were really able to come back from. A lot of terrible things were said and we broke each other's hearts. So I walked away."

Aubrey reached out and caught a tear that rolled down the side of her face, brushing her thumb over the girl's cheek. "I'm so sorry, Amy," she whispered. "If I had known..."

Amy shook her head and looked back to the ceiling. "No one knew. That's how I ended up living with Beca and Chloe. I turned up at their doorstep one night, all my things packed in suitcases and they let me in without any questions. I covered it up by bragging about how heartbroken Bumper was over me and made up lies to make myself feel better. Beca and Chloe never asked questions and never realized how hurt I was." Her voice cracked and she tried to keep her bottom lip from trembling by biting it, but it was futile. "It never stopped hurting, though, Brey. It hurts every day."

Aubrey immediately laid down beside the crying woman, pulling her into her arms to comfort her. She brought her lips down to Amy's forehead and placed little kisses there as she whispered sweetly to her and rubbed her back. Amy's tears trickled down Aubrey's neck and chest and her hand clutched the material of Aubrey's shirt at her back.

They lay there for a long time, neither knowing how much time actually passed.

When Aubrey felt Amy's breathing slow down and even out, signalling the girl falling asleep, she started to pull away, but Amy tugged her back, holding on tighter. Aubrey looked down to see Amy's bloodshot eyes pleading with her.

"Please stay," she croaked out. "Please just hold me."

Aubrey felt her own heart break for the girl and nodded, kissing her forehead one more time before she rest her chin on top of Amy's head. She closed her eyes and hummed a soft tune, lulling them both to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this makes up for the 1st chapter


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was shining bright, the curtains that were left open the night before not blocking the light's path as it hit the sleeping form on the bed. Fat Amy squinted and then blinked her eyes open, glaring at the bird tweeting outside her window as she slowly sat up. Her head pounded and her eyes hurt, her emotional evening taking a harder toll on her body than she expected. She couldn't remember the last time she cried so much; it had to be since high school when her mother passed away. She prided herself on being a strong, independent woman, but every now and again even she had to let it all out.

Usually she expressed her emotions through sex, but after the breakup with Bumper, she couldn't bring herself to hook up with anyone. She flirted, made jokes, and implied sexual encounters while around friends, but if she was completely honest, she only tried sleeping with one guy since she and Bumper split, and it ended in a disastrous night. 

* * *

_The club music was blaring, lights flashing, and a mob of sweaty, drunk people dancing all over each other. Fat Amy found herself sipping her fourth gin and tonic, the effects of the alcohol beginning to weigh on her judgement make her mind fuzzy. She raised the glass to her lips and took a large sip, her eyes focused across the room where a man was stealing glances her way. He was tall, muscular, and had a shy smile. Amy raised her eyebrow when their eyes locked and she could swear she saw him blush from all the way across the room._

_Downing the last of her drink, she set the glass on the bar and threw a tip down before hopping off the stool. She kept her eyes on the man the entire time she sauntered over to him and without word, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her level._

_"We doing this?" she asked, her breath heavy with liquor. The man's eyes widened in surprise and he just nodded vigorously. Amy spun around and grabbed his hand, weaving her way through the crowd to the bathrooms. She didn't even check to see if anyone else was lingering in the stalls, she just dragged the guy to the stall on the very end and shoved him inside, locking the door behind them._

_Their mouths fused together instantly, her hands gripping at his hair as she stood on her tip-toes, the height difference between them almost comical. He grabbed her ass, her boobs, any body part he could get his hands on and she groaned in frustration. Pulling away from him, Amy unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down his legs and then hiked her body-con dress up her hips._

_"Oh my God," the guy breathed out, obviously in shock of her overzealous urgency. He grabbed the back of her thigh and lifted her leg up, hooking it on his hip and pulled her panties to the side._

_Amy grabbed hold of the handicap railing to steady herself and threw her head back with a shout when he entered her. She reached a hand out and grabbed him by the back of his neck, pulling his mouth down to hers while their bodies moved together. She dug her nails into the skin of his neck and the guy reared back suddenly._

_"Ow," he said, rubbing his hand over the markings as he stopped thrusting. "That really hurt."_

_Rolling her eyes, Amy grabbed his hips and pulled him closer to her, slamming their bodies together. Her pussy throbbed on the verge of pleasure and pain and she grinned. "Fuck me," she demanded. "Fuck me hard."_

_The guy looked down at her in confusion and started to thrust again, but it wasn't enough. Amy became angry and she snarled, grabbing his hands that were on her chest and brought them to her throat._

_"Come on," she coaxed. "Choke me, you bastard."_

_"What?" the guy shrieked as he pulled out of her and stepped back._

_"What the fuck are you doing?" Amy exclaimed._

_"Listen, I'm not into that shit-"_

_"Oh fuck you!" she shouted, pushing him back. She pulled down her dressed and opened the stall door. "Can't even get a decent root! Fucking piece of shit." She stumbled out of the bathroom and through the crowd of people to the exit of the bar. The rational side of her brain was screaming at her, telling her she was being ridiculous and she should apologize to that guy, but the drunk, angry side was telling her he deserved it._

_As she meandered down the sidewalk, Amy felt her chest constrict and her eyes well up suddenly. A chill ran through her body even though it was a warm summer night and she felt her legs begin to give out. She reached a hand out to grab on to the wall of the building and bent over, her breathing rapid. She quickly reached inside her bra and pulled out her phone, dialing Beca's number._

_"Dude, it's 2 am, what do you want?" came Beca's sleepy greeting on the other line._

_"Beca," Amy breathed out in panic. "I-I need you to c-come get me."_

_She could practically see Beca jumping out of the bed at the sound of her distressed voice. "Okay, calm down, Ames. Where exactly are you?"_

_"58th and Madison," she said. "Please hurry."_

_"I'm on my way."_

* * *

Amy shuddered at the memory as she stood from the bed. Beca had found her sitting outside the club with her head between her knees. The brunette thought her friend had been attacked, but Amy assured her nothing was wrong and that she just wanted to go home and sleep. Beca had tried to make her talk the next morning, but when the day woke, Amy was back to her normal, joking self, acting as if nothing had happened. Beca never found out what went on in the club that night and Amy promised she would never tell anyone. She was embarrassed about her actions and wished she would somehow run into that guy by happenstance so she could apologize and explain herself to him. 

She was still in pain over the break up with Bumper, especially as she neared the one year mark of not seeing him, but everyday she felt a little better. She actually felt refreshed as she made her way into the bathroom to take a shower. She expected to spiral into depression after baring her heart to Aubrey, but it seemed that her emotional outburst was exactly what she needed. 

As she stepped into the shower, Amy felt rejuvenated, but there was still a voice in the back of her head, telling her she needed to wipe the slate clean and start over. And the best way to do that was to clear the air with Bumper.

Leaning her head back under the shower head, letting the water cascade down her face and body, Amy let out a deep sigh.

 _Shit_.

* * *

"Wait, what?"

Rolling her eyes, Amy looked at herself one more time in the mirror, surveying her outfit. "I'm going to lunch with Bumper."

Aubrey stared at the back of Amy's head, trying to keep her face passive and failing miserably. "B-but... what?"

Amy turned to face her roommate, a smile tugging her pink tinted lips. "I called Bumper this morning. It turns out he's in town visiting his family and we're meeting for lunch."

"Okay," Aubrey drew the word out, her eyes blinking in confusion. "I just... I'm not sure how we got here. I mean, last night, you... well you opened up to me about the break up and that was good. Really good. But how- how exactly did you...?"

Amy reached out and grabbed Aubrey's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Brey, I had a slight revelation this morning in the shower. I realized I have been bottling every single emotion up when it comes to Bumper. I've never been one of those people that opens up in the first place-"

"Tell me about it," Aubrey scoffed. "Took six years for us to find out your dad was alive _and_ a con artist. Not to mention you kept you and Bumper sleeping together a secret for four years. Even though all of us knew, you still didn't say anything. And don't get me started on your ' _mad ninja skills_ ' as you so eloquently put it."

Amy stared at her, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You done?"

"Sorry."

"Anyway," Amy continued. "I keep to myself a lot and after our talk last night, I woke up this morning, expecting to feel like shit, but instead I felt a thousand times better than I have in the longest time. So, I decided I needed to finally close that chapter in my life and move on. And to do that, I need to sit down with Bumper talk about our relationship and why everything went to shit."

To say Aubrey was impressed would be an understatement. It took her two years and some therapy to get over leaving the Barden Bellas after graduating, but it only took Amy one night of crying to get over a five year relationship? She shook her head, making sure to not make the situation about her and squeezed Amy's hand in comfort. "I'm proud of you, Ames. And I support you."

Amy grinned and tugged the girl's arm, pulling her in for a hug. "Thanks, babe."

The words were whispered, Amy's lips barely brushing Aubrey's ear, causing the girl to shiver. She pulled away and smiled encouragingly at the shorter blonde. Staring into her hazel eyes, Aubrey couldn't help but lean down and place a kiss on her cheek. 

Amy blushed and quickly turned her head to look in the mirror for any lipstick marks. "Aw man, you're messing up my look!" she fake-whined, pretending to wipe the kiss from her face.

"Oh really?" Aubrey challenged. She grabbed Amy's face and brought her lips back down to her cheek and then her forehead and anywhere else she could reach as the woman squirmed in her arms. "How about now?" she asked as she continued to shower her in kisses.

"Aubrey!" Amy laughed, barely attempting to fight her anymore. She grabbed her wrists and looked up, their eyes locking. "I don't have time to fix my makeup."

Aubrey lay a final kiss on her nose and pulled away. "I don't even have lipstick on, I just wanted to ease your nerves."

Averting her eyes, Amy scoffed and looked into the mirror to make sure her makeup was still in place and her blushing cheeks were not evident. "What nerves?"

"You forget I can read you like an open book, Amy."

Amy ignored her and grabbed her phone and keys. "Oh would you look at the time? I gotta go. Bye Brey!"

Aubrey shook her head and smiled at the blonde's antics before she also left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Amy bit her lip as she observed the people around her. The cafe was busy, the hustle and bustle of New York City's lunch hour providing a great distraction from her rampant thoughts. Her hands fiddled with her phone, trying to decide whether or not she should call him. He was twenty minutes late and while in the past this would have annoyed her, right now she felt worried. She didn't know if he was bailing on her or if something happened to him, or... _No_. Distractions. She needed to focus on distractions. 

A waitress nearby dropped a glass of water and the sound made Amy jump. The cafe conversations dwindled for a moment as the embarrassed young girl bent down to clean up the shards of broken glass while a busboy came out from the back with a broom and dustpan. Amy watched on, empathizing with the girl when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed in fright.

"Sorry!" Bumper immediately withdrew his hands and held them up in defense. "So sorry. I did not mean to scare you."

Amy stared up into the eyes of her ex-boyfriend, feeling her heart pull in her chest. "Bumper," she breathed out, a smile finally breaking out. "It's- it's so good to see you."

Nodding, Bumper glanced between Amy and the empty seat across from her. "Yeah, you too."

She noticed his line of sight and cleared her throat. "Oh, please," she gestured to the seat and he thanked her awkwardly as he sat down. "So," she began, all the words in her braining turning to mush suddenly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "So..." 

They sat in a thick silence, the loud noises of the diner seeming to fade away as they both searched for how to get the conversation rolling. Bumper's hands fidgeted with the napkin and he was just about to open his mouth to say something when the waitress came rushing over.

"So sorry for your wait, guys," the girl said. Amy recognized her as the same girl who dropped the glass a few minutes ago. "What can I get for you two?"

They glanced at each other and seemed to read each other's mind as they both spoke at the same time.

"Strawberry smoothie."

The waitress scribbled down on her little notepad. "Two strawberry smoothies. Anything else?" The pair shook their heads and the girl popped her gum before spinning around to go put their orders in.

Amy looked back at Bumper to see his warm eyes focused on her and she blushed. "How are you?"

Bumper shrugged, leaning his elbows on the table. "Not too bad. Got a job at my dad's law firm yesterday."

"What-really?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "That's why I'm in town. They needed a paralegal and since my music career never took off, I figured I might as well put my degree to good use."

"You have a paralegal degree? What the fuck?" 

"You do know I graduated Barden University, right?" he laughed. "I minored in music, but my major was paralegal work."

Amy sat back, completely dumbfounded. "This is the kind of stuff that I should know about you. Not what kinks you have, but what you do for a fucking living."

"I will say, you knowing the kink stuff really worked, too."

The waitress came back right at that moment, her innocent eyes bulging as she heard the last of their conversation. "Uhh, is there anything else I can get you two?" she asked, setting the smoothies down with some straws.

The couple laughed heartily. "No thanks," Amy managed to say through her giggles and the waitress slowly turned away. They opened their straws and began to drink their smoothies, smiling as the memories of their relationship flashed in their minds. Amy felt the bad memories start to rise to the surface along with the good and she swallowed loudly, setting her drink to the side. "Hey, I just wanted to uh, say I'm sorry."

Bumper frowned, putting his drink down as well. "For what?"

Amy folded her hands and shrugged one shoulder. "For everything?" she said meekly. "I was fucked up and I took it all out on you and I shouldn't have done that."

"Hey," he reached a hand out and placed it on top of hers. "We both messed up. We went about our entire relationship the wrong way. You may have taken everything out on me, but I didn't exactly chase you after you left. We might have been able to work things out if we actually had a conversation once in a while."

"Yeah, that was the biggest problem," she agreed. "We really sucked at talking."

"Well," he made a face at her and she narrowed her eyes. "We didn't suck at dirty talk."

Shaking her head with a knowing grin, Amy reached for her drink again and Bumper moved his hands back to his own drink. "You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, but you love it."

Locking her eyes on his, Amy's face suddenly sobered. "I love _you_."

If he was surprised by her words or the sincerity behind them, he didn't show it. Instead he beamed, his eyes lighting up. "I love you, too."


	4. Chapter 4

The apartment was filled with the wonderful aroma of food cooking. Aubrey stood over the hot stove, a cook book in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. She bit her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on the words littering the page. Glancing at the picture in the book and then back down at the pan that held her concoction, she frowned. It looked nothing like the picture. 

"Okay," Amy said as she entered the kitchen with the broom and dustpan. Her long blonde hair was in a loose bun on top of her head, her bangs pulled back out of her face, and she stood in front of Aubrey in just her bra and booty shorts. "The living room is done. Can I please go take a shower now?"

Aubrey raised her eyebrow at the woman's lack of clothing, momentarily forgetting about her cooking chicken on the stove. It wasn't unusual to find Amy in such a state of undress; she had an unyielding confidence when it came to her body and Aubrey quickly became used to seeing her with barely any clothes on. It was Amy walking in on her while she was changing or showering that Aubrey still had yet to get used to.

"Why are you cleaning in your underwear?" she asked curiously.

Amy looked down at herself shuddered. "I had a run-in with a rather large and obviously suicidal spider."

"Suicidal?" Aubrey couldn't help but chuckle. "What do you mean?"

" _I_ _mean_ ," Amy drew the word out as she put away the cleaning items in the cupboard by the fridge. "That fucker came right at me after I smacked it a million times with the broom! And just when I thought it was dead, I felt something crawling up my leg. So my clothes are now in the fireplace and we should just move on, okay?"

Aubrey let out a full laugh, imagining the fight between her roommate and an arachnid. "God, I am so mad I missed that. Is that what all that banging and screaming was?"

"Yes," Amy bit out. "And thank you for coming to my rescue!"

Knowing it was a sarcastic comment, Aubrey grinned widely. "You're so welcome."

Amy glared at her and then looked at the stove. "Oi, is that supposed to be on fire?"

Aubrey quickly looked at the stove to see her chicken flaming in the pan. "Oh my God!" She grabbed the pan and quickly brought it over to the sink to turn on the water when Amy screamed at her.

"Not with water! It's grease, you dumb blonde! Get the extinguisher!"

"My hands are kinda full, Amy!" Aubrey exclaimed, holding the flaming pan away from her. She was forever grateful they had very high ceilings. 

Amy scrambled in the cupboard to grab the fire extinguisher and once she finally located it, she pointed it at Aubrey, spraying the white substance all over the pan and the woman holding it. 

The fire was out, the smoke detectors suspiciously never going off, and the kitchen a complete disaster. The dinner Aubrey had been preparing all day for the Bellas was officially ruined and the group of girls were due to arrive at any minute. Aubrey had already gotten dressed for the party, but now was covered in pressurized nitrogen and carbon dioxide. She and Amy stared at each other for a few moments, Amy still pointing the extinguisher and Aubrey still wielding the pan of burnt chicken. 

"Now what?" Aubrey asked, looking around the kitchen. "What are we going to do?"

Amy frowned, finally setting the extinguisher down. "No worries," she said. "We'll just order pizza."

"Pizza?!" Aubrey exclaimed, throwing the pan into the sink, a louder clatter sounding from the metal landing harshly. "We can't have _pizza_ for a _housewarming party_!"

"Seriously, Brey?" Amy laughed. "Those girls don't give a shit what we eat."

"But I do!" Aubrey shouted, pointing to herself. A drop of the white substance fell from her chin and plopped on the floor by her feet. "And look at this place!" she gestured all around the messy kitchen. "We've been slaving away all day, making sure everything is in place and it's- it's just-" 

Amy raised her eyebrows when Aubrey suddenly held her fist up to her mouth, starting to gag. "Oh shit. Don't you dare..." She watched Aubrey try to quench the need to vomit, her eyes wide. "Calm down, Brey. Don't puke. You'll make it even worse."

Aubrey held her hand up and glared at Amy, trying to get her gag reflex under control. Amy cautiously began to step towards her, but she slipped on the wet floor and lunged forward to gain balance. Unfortunately, Aubrey was the only thing in front of her so she grabbed on to her shoulders, causing Aubrey to also lose balance. They twisted, sliding around all over until finally falling, Aubrey landing roughly on top of Amy. 

"You okay?" she asked, noticing Amy's grimace of pain. 

"Yeah," Amy grunted, pulling the tongs Aubrey was holding earlier out from underneath her back. Aubrey's hands that were planted on either side of Amy's head began to slip and Amy reached up, gripping her roommate's slender hips so she didn't fall on top of her again. Amy's eyes darted back and forth between Aubrey's and she raised her eyebrows as they stared each other down. "You're not going to puke on me, are you?"

Letting out a short puff of laughter, Aubrey shook her head. "Don't tempt me."

They shared a moment of amusement, but it was interrupted when they suddenly heard a whistle from behind them. Turning their eyes to the doorway of the kitchen they found Emily, Chloe, Beca, and Stacie, who was holding a six-month-old Bella, all staring at the scene in front of them with curious eyes and wide grins. Realizing the way they looked - _Amy in her underwear, Aubrey on top of her, and the disastrous kitchen_ \- the girls quickly scrambled to stand up, holding on to the counters for support instead of each other. 

"H-Hey," Amy breathed out, panting from the exertion. "What's up guys?"

"Nothing much," Beca shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head to the side. "What's up with you guys?"

"Oh, you know," Aubrey waved around aimlessly, sharing a nonchalant glance with Amy. "We had a slight cooking mishap. And... actually, Amy-"

"Yeah?" Amy turned to her, finally gaining a strong stance. 

"We gotta- ya know- the pizza?" Aubrey stuttered, struggling for words in the awkward situation.

"The piz- Oh yeah! I'll... Yeah, I actually have them on speed-dial. So I'm just gonna..." She shuffled her way across the kitchen, grabbing a towel to wipe her slippery feet off on the way so she didn't track the fluid around the freshly cleaned apartment. "Yup," she nodded at the girls as she passed. "I'll be back in a minute." She paused, mid-step and looked back at them. "Uhh, make that a few minutes."

The girls turned their eyes back to Aubrey who was attempting to clean up the kitchen and obviously avoiding their gaze. Chloe took a few steps in and grabbed the towel Amy had just used to start wiping up the floor, Emily following suite with another dishtowel she found on the counter.

"Uhh, Aubs?" Chloe started innocently. "We didn't interrupt something did we?"

"We totally did," Stacie said in excitement and Beca smacked her arm. The tall woman gawked at Beca, gesturing to the infant in her arms. "Hello! Baby here!"

"Oh shit," Beca said. "My bad." She cautiously reached up and awkwardly pat the little girl on back. "Sorry little one.... Child... Baby Stacie..."

"Bella. Her name is Bella." Stacie reminded her.

"I _know_ what her name is!"

"No," Aubrey suddenly spoke up from across the room, interrupting the little dispute. "You didn't walk in on anything. I was cooking and the pan caught fire and Amy used the fire extinguisher, but we slipped on the floor and that's when you guys came in."

"And Amy was practically naked because..." Beca narrowed her eyes, waiting for Aubrey to finish her explanation.

"There was a spider-related incident while Amy was cleaning."

"Uh huh," Chloe nodded, her tongue pressed against her teeth as she still looked at Aubrey suspiciously. "Well, why don't you go get cleaned up? We can finish with this mess if you just tell me where the mop is?"

"In the cupboard by the fridge," Aubrey pointed and Beca immediately opened the small door to grab the mop. "Really, you guys don't have to do this," she added on. "You're guests. And I'm so sorry about dinner. Amy is ordering pizza cause what we originally were going to eat is now permanently stuck to my best fry pan."

Emily waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Aubrey. We all love pizza! Go get cleaned up. We got this."

With a pout, Aubrey looked at her friends gratefully. "Thank you so much, girls. Really."

"It's no problem, Aubs," Chloe grinned encouragingly, watching Aubrey walk out of the room. Once she was sure her the blonde was out of ear shot, Chloe spun around to face the other girls. "Oh-em-gee, do you think that they're-"

"Yes." All three girls instantly answered.

* * *

 An hour later, everyone was sitting in the living room, some girls spread out on the floor and a few on the couch. The table set up in the corner of the room for their home cooked meal was left forgotten as everyone sat and ate their pizza, the apartment filled with laughter. The kitchen was cleaned up, Amy and Aubrey showered and redressed, and the shenanigans of earlier that evening momentarily forgotten. They were all sharing memories of their USO Tour and their time together as Bellas when Stacie suddenly decided to breastfeed the baby in front of everyone.

"Dude, seriously?" Beca exclaimed, scooting away from the mother and closer to Chloe on the couch. "Warn us before you just whip it out!"

"What Beca means," Chloe started, glaring at Beca who looked on in disgust. "Is that it's perfectly normal and beautiful that you're breastfeeding your child."

"It's not like we haven't seen her tits before," Amy chimed in, gesturing to Stacie. "She flashed us every time she drank. Hell, she flashed us when she was sober."

"What about the time you flashed the entire world with your vagina?" Flo spoke up with a smirk. 

"Can we not-" Amy started to say, but was interrupted by the snickering of the other girls who remembered the national disgrace. 

"Who doesn't wear underwear under their costume?" Cynthia-Rose exclaimed, trying to keep her eyes off Stacie's exposed chest.

"I didn't want my panty-line to show!" Amy defended herself.

"You were 25 feet up in the air! Wear a thong!" Beca shrieked. "Besides, who's gonna look at your ass that far off the ground?"

"To be fair, I'm always looking at her ass," Stacie said.

Cynthia-Rose nodded in agreement. "It's a great ass."

A few of the other girls concurred the statement and Amy covered her face in embarrassment, the memories of that horrible day filling her mind. "Ahh, make it stop."

Aubrey reached over to her roommate and pulled her into her arms. "Aw, my poor baby," she said softly, not noticing the other girls suddenly becoming quiet as she kissed Amy's forehead. She pouted in empathy and rubbed Amy's arm before adding on to the torment. "But if you weren't going to wear underwear, at least you could have shaved."

The room erupted in laughter and Amy removed herself from Aubrey's embrace as the blonde chuckled. "You guys are such bitches!" she shouted, a smile tugging at her lips. "No one ever makes fun of Aubrey for puking all over an audience her junior year."

"That's 'cause we're all afraid of her," Beca admitted.

" _What_?" Aubrey squawked. At everyone's nodding heads, she turned a sad face to Amy. "You're not afraid of me, are you Ames?"

Amy shrugged, her expression passive. "I don't know, Brey. You did try to set the house on fire earlier."

"She did what?" Cynthia-Rose inquired, turning her attention to the former Bella leader. 

"Oh yeah," Chloe said as if she suddenly remembered the events she walked in on. "We got here a bit early and found these two," she pointed to the red faced blondes across from her with a grin. "Were basically wrestling around half naked."

"What?!" Lily, Jessica, Ashley, Cynthia-Rose, and Flo all shouted. 

"We weren't _wrestling_ and we weren't _naked_!" Aubrey informed them.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "And it was a high pressure situation! The house could have caught fire! She could have killed me!"

"For the last time, I did not set the fire. My chicken _caught_ fire!"

"Another likely story."

"Oh my God," Aubrey sighed. "Is this about the cake?"

Amy threw her hands up in the air. "I don't understand why we can't have it in the house!"

"Because you blame me for eating it, after I already told you I didn't, while I'm in the middle of a shower!"

"One time!" Amy explained. "That happened one time!"

The Bellas around the room watched the argument go on in amusement. Stacie smiled warmly at the sight, putting her shirt back in place as Bella slept on her shoulder.

"A lover's quarrel," she said softly. "It's so sweet."

Amy and Aubrey, hearing the comment, snapped their heads towards the other girls in surprise and simultaneously asked, "Lovers?!"

"Why does everyone assume we're together?" Aubrey questioned, a blush starting to creep up to her cheeks.

"Because you guys so obviously are!" Chloe said happily, gesturing to them. "It's so cute!"

"Okay," Amy held her hands up. "Aubrey and I are not together. We live together, as roommates, and nothing more."

"Seriously?" Beca said incredulously. "Like not at all?"

Looking at all the surprised faces, Aubrey and Amy glanced at each other again shook their heads. "No."

* * *

Luckily after the revelation that Aubrey and Amy were not a couple, the conversation changed to Stacie's motherhood. The girls stuck around for a little while, but eventually all had to bid their goodbyes. Amy finished gathering the pizza boxes and stack of cups from the living room, setting them on the kitchen counter to be taken out in the morning. Aubrey turned off the sink after giving up on trying to salvage her frying pan, shoving it in the garbage can, and looked at Amy. 

"Hey Ames?"

Amy glanced up, wiping her greasy hands on the dishtowel. "Yeah?"

Aubrey bit her lip, searching for her words carefully. "You never told me how lunch with Bumper went."

Amy's eyebrows rose in surprise, not expecting the question. She contemplated telling Aubrey the entire conversation she had with her ex, but instead just gave her the highlight. "I told him I love him."

"Oh."

Amy watched as Aubrey shuffled her feet, almost nervously, and kept her gaze down at her feet. That wasn't the reaction she expected from her at all. She thought she would be bombarded with an array of questions, but this quiet, unsure response threw her off-guard. 

"And what- what did he say back?" she asked meekly.

Amy smiled, remembering the goodbye hug and kiss Bumper gave her the day before. "He told me he loves me too."

Aubrey nodded, crossing her arms over chest. She smiled at Amy, but it was forced. "So are you guys back together?"

Amy's face scrunched up in bewilderment. "What? No," she shook her head with a short laugh. "We decided we are better off as friends."

Aubrey's entire demeanor changed and Amy swore she saw the other girl sigh in relief. "That's good!" she said a little too loud. "I'm glad you guys worked things out."

Still eyeing Aubrey's odd behavior, Amy nodded at her. "Yeah, it's good to know I still have him in my life. It's been a rough year without him."

Aubrey grinned and stepped over to the shorter woman, reaching a hand out to rub her arm in comfort. They stared at each other for a few moments, many unreadable emotions behind their eyes. Aubrey finally seemed to break from the trance and took a small step back, her hand falling down Amy's arm and back to her side. "I'm gonna go to bed. It's been a long day."

"Y-yeah," Amy said softly. "Yeah, me too."

Leaning down, Aubrey attempted to place a kiss on Amy's cheek, but she misjudged the motion and ended up kissing the corner of Amy's mouth. She pulled back quickly, willing the blush she knew was on her face to go away and spun around to walk out of the kitchen. "Goodnight!" she called out over her shoulder.

Amy leaned back against the counter, her fingers touching the corner of her mouth where Aubrey's lips just touched. "Goodnight," she whispered, trying to decipher why her mouth was tingling and her heart was racing.


	5. Chapter 5

"I have a problem."

Chloe looked up from her phone and noticed the distraught look on her best friend's face. Frowning, she locked her phone and set it on the table next to her water glass. It had been two weeks since the Bella's reunion dinner and the first time Chloe had some actual time to hang out with Aubrey due to her vet clinics taking up most of her time. A day of shopping and some lunch was much needed for the two friends.

"What's up?" she asked the blonde curiously.

Aubrey sighed and fiddled with the napkin placed in her lap. She knew she was blushing as she figured out how to word her thoughts and she kept her gaze down, feeling Chloe's eyes boring into her face. "I have... well, you know Amy?"

With a short laugh, Chloe nodded. "Yes, I know Amy."

Rolling her eyes, Aubrey put her elbows on the table and leaned towards the redhead, licking her lips. "Okay, so like... We're friends. And we've been friends for a long time." 

She paused and Chloe stared at Aubrey's conflicted face. "And?"

Aubrey finally looked up and caught Chloe's eyes. "And she's so funny. And confident, and a little wild at times, but that works for her, ya know? And she's so nice to me. Like, when we were fighting for the pitch pipe all those years ago and I-"

"Violently puked at me?" Chloe chimed in, not a hint of malice in her voice. 

Aubrey blushed harder. "Yes. That." She cleared her throat and continued. "Anyway, she sat with me while we were all confessing secrets about ourselves and she offered me a towel and helped me clean myself up. And I just always think about that, you know? It's always in the back of my mind that she was the one who came to my side when no one else did. And on the USO Tour, she listened to me about my issues with my father and then we found out about her own personal issues with her dad and I felt like we connected..."

"Oh my God."

Aubrey furrowed her eyebrows as Chloe shook her head and held a hand up.

"Sorry," the girl said. "I was thinking out loud. Go on..."

Aubrey looked at her suspiciously for a moment and then continued on slowly."And now we... live together. And I'm learning more and more about her every day that I never knew. Things she's never told anyone, not even Beca."

"Like what?" Chloe blurted out, always up for juicy gossip. 

"Well, I don't want to breech her trust," Aubrey informed her, seeing Chloe nod in understanding. "But she opened up to me about her relationship with Bumper. And it made me realize there's so much more to her than we ever knew. And I find myself constantly wanting to be around her. When I'm at work, I'm always wondering how her day is going. Is she making good tips on her one-woman show? Did she eat lunch? What time will she be home?" With another sigh, Aubrey sat back and began to fiddle with her napkin again. "I don't know what is going on with me, Chloe."

Chloe was smiling from ear to ear, her large eyes shining with excitement. "Aubrey," she sing-songed, gaining the blonde's attention. "You like her."

Aubrey scoffed. "Duh, of course I like her! She's my friend."

"No, Aubs." Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned forward, making sure Aubrey was looking right at her as she slowly spoke. "You have a major toner for Fat Amy."

Aubrey's jaw dropped, her eyes wide. "I do not!" she claimed, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's- that's the most ridiculous... I can't believe you'd think... What..." She kept opening and closing her mouth, trying to deny the accusation, but no real excuse was coming to mind and she sat back with a huff, a slow realization dawning on her. "Oh shit."

Chloe squealed, clapping her hands together in pure joy. "Finally! My God, it took so long for you to admit it!"

Aubrey looked at her again in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Aubrey," the redhead said in an obvious tone. "You and Amy have had a thing since Hood Night her freshman year. I watched you two talking the entire night and the look on your face when she was talking to Bumper. You were jealous. And do you realize how disappointed you looked when she told us she was in love with Bumper?" At Aubrey's slow shaking of her head, Chloe grinned. "You looked like someone kicked your cat and then ran it over with a truck."

Shaking her head, Aubrey sat up straighter and then slumped back down. "What do I do, Chloe?" she asked, her tone one of defeat.

Chloe pouted and reached her hand out to place it on top of Aubrey's. She sympathized with her friend and wished she could just tell her to plant one on Amy and move on, but there was always that possibility that Amy didn't like her back, so she kept her mouth shut. "I can't tell you what to do, Aubs," she said sweetly, noticing a waitress coming to their table out of the corner of her eye. "But I think you should talk to Amy."

She leaned back when the waitress stopped at their table, holding a tray with their food and a bright grin on her face.

"Who ordered the veggie burger?"

* * *

Aubrey opened the front door to the apartment and dropped her keys in the big porcelain bowl on the entryway table. She took off her scarf and coat, hanging them up on the coat rack and then closed and locked the door behind her. She grabbed the mail sitting on the table and dropped her purse down, shuffling through the bills and junk mail. She started to walk down the hallway when a sound stopped her in her tracks. She tilted her head and listened closer, hearing the unmistakable sounds of a baby giggling. 

Cautiously, Aubrey stalked slowly through the kitchen and into the large living room, peering over the couch to see Amy lying on the floor with baby Bella, playing peekaboo. Her heart warmed at the adorable sight, but confusion followed suite.

"Uh, Ames?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. 

Amy looked up with a bright smile on her face. "Hey Brey!" she greeted her roommate as she sat up. "How was your lunch with Chloe?" She reached over and scooped up the baby effortlessly, setting her on her lap. 

Aubrey stared at Amy handling the baby easily and set the mail down on the coffee table. "It was good," she said slowly. "Why is Bella here? Did Stacie come by to visit?"

"Oh, no," Amy shook her head and looked down at the baby in her lap, catching her eye and smiling big. "Mommy had a last minute client and couldn't get anyone to babysit. So Auntie Amy came to the rescue! Didn't I?" she asked the baby, rubbing their noses together and making the little girl giggle. "Yes, I did!"

Aubrey's heart swelled at Amy's motherly instinct and sat on the couch, crossing her legs. "So, how long do we have her for?" She watched Amy lay down on her back and lift the baby up in the air, making silly faces as the girl chewed on her fingers and smiled down at Amy.

"Just a few hours," Amy informed her. "I told Stacie to take some 'me time' when she was done with her client." She brought the baby down to her face and made airplane noises before raising her back up in the air again, Bella giggling and drooling happily. Amy sat back up and held Bella out for Aubrey to take. "Can you hold her for a minute? I've gotta go to the toilet."

Aubrey grinned and reached out, taking Bella from Amy and setting her in her lap. It was at this moment Aubrey realized she never held a baby before and the panic began to rise up slowly. "Oh, uh, what if-"

"I'll be back in a sec!" Amy called out as she ran from the room. 

Aubrey stared at the adorable little girl with dark brown hair and hazel green eyes. There was no denying she took after Stacie; she looked exactly what Aubrey would suspect Stacie looked like in her infant years. Swallowing loudly, Aubrey started to bounce her knees, holding Bella under her arms carefully. "Hi there," she said sweetly. In seconds, Bella's face scrunched up and she began to wail. Aubrey's eyes widened and she stiffened, not knowing what to do at all. "Uhhh, Amy!" she called out, but she received no response, Amy clearly out of hearing range. 

She stood up and brought the girl to her shoulder, trying to bounce and coo at her, but the seven month old wriggled about in her arms and cried harder. "Oh my God, okay... I don't know what you want-" She shifted the baby in her arms and tried holding her a different way, but nothing seemed to work, and Aubrey quickly realized she knew nothing about child care.

Luckily, Amy came back into the room a minute later, a smirk on her face as she watched Aubrey fail to calm the child. "What did you do to her?" she teased, reaching over to grab the girl. Bella practically leapt out of Aubrey's grasp and into Amy's when she saw her nearby. Within seconds, she calmed down and laid her head on Amy's shoulder. 

Aubrey gawked, an obvious annoyance crossing her features. "Why doesn't she like me?" she asked with a pout, crossing her arms. "All I did was say hi and she lost it."

Amy shook her head with a grin, rubbing the baby's back. "You're probably too tense. You need to relax and be calm when you hold a baby. They can sense if you're nervous and it makes them nervous."

Aubrey watched Amy hum into the baby's ear, bouncing her gently as the girl cuddled into her shoulder. She felt a pang of jealousy suddenly rush through her and she cleared her throat, trying to push the feeling away. "How do you know so much about babies?"

Amy shrugged, looking down at the infant to see her eyes beginning to fall close with sleep. "I had a few cousins back in Australia who had kids and I would babysit them sometimes when I came home for the weekend."

Aubrey nodded, but her wording made her rethink what Amy just said. "Wait, come home for the weekend?" she repeated. "Did you go to a boarding school or something?"

Realizing what she just revealed to her friend, Amy tried to backtrack. "Err, I meant, my cousins would come and visit on the weekend." She scrunched up her face unconvincingly and averted her eyes from Aubrey, trying to move past the subject.

"That's not what you meant," Aubrey said, uncrossing her arms and stepping closer. She looked at the baby and saw her sound asleep as Amy continued to rock from side to side. "Why don't you put her down in my room? I'm gonna order some Chinese. I don't feel like cooking tonight." She smiled warmly at Amy and then went into the kitchen to find the restaurant's number.

Amy practically sighed in relief when she realized Aubrey dropped the subject of Amy's past home life and turned to put the baby down in Aubrey's room. She surrounded the infant with a few pillows so she didn't fall off the bed in her sleep and crept out of the room towards her own. She knew the food was going to take a little while to arrive, so she entered her bathroom and turned on the water to fill the tub for a bath. She had a feeling that Aubrey was going to ask her about her past again when she finished ordering the food so she was desperately trying to avoid the confrontation. She didn't know what it was about the blonde, but Amy always found herself opening up to her more than she did anyone else in her life. She lived with Beca for a full year and the music producer barely learned anything about Amy. 

As she stripped her clothes and stepped into the steaming hot bath, Amy tried to ignore her suddenly thumping heart as she thought about her roommate. She relaxed against the porcelain and rest her head back, closing her eyes and trying to keep her mind blank. The door to the bathroom was open so she could listen for the baby and the last thing she expected was for Aubrey to come waltzing in. She was immediately reminded of the time she walked in on the tall girl in the shower and felt a blush rise to her cheeks. 

"Why do you always run away when we talk?" Aubrey asked, sitting on the edge of the tub. 

Amy was surprised that the blonde was so casual and had no qualms about the fact that she could clearly see Amy's naked body through the clear water. She was so embarrassed when Amy walked in on her, yet right now she was calm and collected?

What she didn't realize was that Aubrey was trying her hardest to not glance down at Amy's nude form. She was digging her nails into her palm and biting her lip innocently, but the blood was rushing through her veins and a million thoughts were running wild in her mind. She kept her face as stoic as possible, though, giving no inclination of the war she was having between her body and mind.

"I don't always run when we talk," Amy scoffed, though her tone was unconvincing. "You told me to put the baby down and I decided I needed to take a bath cause Bella spit up on me earlier."

Aubrey tilted her head and stared Amy down. "Aren't you tired of hiding, Amy?"

The words shocked Amy and she tensed, dropping her gaze down to the water. She was not ready to have this conversation, at all. Her friends already found out about her seedy, no good father during their USO Tour, but they only found out a fraction about him, and Amy wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could. 

Clearing her throat, Amy looked back up at Aubrey's warm eyes and felt herself beginning to give in, but at the last second she sat up straighter and held her ground. "I know it seems like I'm hiding, Brey. I don't mean to, but..." she paused, choosing her words carefully. "I have a really dark past and I'm not even sure I've come to terms with it myself. So, it's hard for me to talk about it to anyone else. I'm just, not ready." 

Aubrey listened to her words and took them in with understanding. "If you ever do want to talk, Amy..."

Amy smiled and reached her hand up to grab Aubrey's wrist. "No worries," she said. "You'll be the first to know." She looked down at Aubrey's arm and her hand on it and then at the bathtub before locking her eyes back on her roommate's.

Aubrey, realizing Amy's thought process, quickly shook her head and tried to pull her hand away. "Amy, don't you da-AH!"

Amy had tugged Aubrey's arm which caused her to lose balance and fall into the tub. Water sloshed over the side with the force of her body hitting the surface and she splashed around, trying to keep her head afloat. Amy cackled and grabbed Aubrey's flailing arms, helping her steady herself until she was on her hands and knees in the tub, hovering over her. Amy moved her hands to Aubrey's face and brushed the wet hair out of her eyes so she could see her properly. 

Aubrey gasped when she realized how close she was to Amy, her soaking shirt covered chest brushing against Amy's naked breasts. She noticed Amy's smile begin to falter and her eyes dart down to Aubrey's lips, making her heart rate speed up in excitement. Their faces inched together slowly, Amy's palms cupping Aubrey's chin. 

Amy had no clue what was happening, but she couldn't suppress the urge to kiss the woman. She felt like her body was on fire when she felt Aubrey's chest against her own and her brain began to short circuit the closer their lips came to touching. 

And then the doorbell rang and they sprung apart. Aubrey practically fell out of the tub in her rush to get away from the situation. She didn't even attempt to dry herself as she slipped out of the room, dripping water all over the apartment so she could answer the door. Amy smacked her head back against the porcelain tub, wincing at the self-induced pain and let out a long sigh. She climbed out of the tub and drained the water before grabbing a towel.

After she cleaned up the mess of water all over the floor and tossed on her robe, she heard Aubrey call out that their food had arrived. A few seconds later, she heard Bella start crying, most likely woken up from the combination of the doorbell ringing and Aubrey's shouting. She went into her bedroom and changed as fast as she could, not wanting to face Aubrey in only her robe after what just transpired in the bathtub. She snatched her phone from the dresser on her way out of the room and sent a quick text to Beca before heading to grab Bella.

" _I have a problem_."


	6. Chapter 6

Aubrey stared at the text book in front of her, the words on the page blurring together before her eyes. She kept reading the same paragraph over and over again, but the words would not stick in her brain. Ever since they babysat Bella a few days ago, Aubrey could not shake the thought that maybe she should drop out of her doula training and go back to running the camp. She obviously had no idea what to do when it came to children, her motherly instinct didn't kick in one single bit and she felt like vomiting every time Amy handed the baby to her. She tried taking her roommate's advice and relaxing, thinking happy thoughts, but Bella screamed whenever Aubrey was near her and it made her panic.

She sighed, closing the book and tossing it on the cushioned bay window seat. It was raining outside which meant Amy would be home any minute and the awkward tension would fill the house once again. They hadn't really spoken about the bathtub incident and their conversations were forced since the "almost kiss". They mostly had been avoiding each other for three days, one making up an excuse whenever the other came into the room. The elephant in the room was almost suffocating and it was driving Aubrey crazy. 

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the way Amy's naked body felt beneath her, the way Amy held her face in her hands so delicately, the look on her face as their lips drew closer. She shook her head and sighed loudly, bringing her legs to her chest as she relaxed further into the window seat. Just as she felt herself begin to nod off, the sound of the rain against the window pane and the thunder in the distance lulling her to sleep, the front door opened and slammed. 

" _Motherfucker_!"

Aubrey sat up quickly at the sound of Amy's angry shout. She frowned as she heard more expletives being said from the hallway and stood up to investigate what was wrong with her roommate. 

"Ames?" she called out cautiously as she walked through the kitchen to the front hall. She reached the door and saw no sign of Amy, but she did find Amy's muddy high heels and soaking wet coat carelessly dropped to the floor. She thought about picking the items up, her obsessive compulsiveness kicking in full force, but decided she needed to make sure Amy was okay first.

Aubrey walked to the open bedroom door and heard more cursing coming from the bathroom. There were drops of mud and water all over the carpeted floor and she inwardly groaned, knowing it was going to be a bitch to clean up. She stalked carefully to the bathroom and pushed the door open to reveal Amy trying and failing to unzip her muddy, sopping wet Fat Amy Winehouse dress. Her black wig was tossed onto the sink, dripping down the cabinets and on to the tiled floor, and her stockings here in a pile by the hamper. 

"Amy?" she asked softly, making the other girl jump and spin around, her hands dropping from the zipper at the back of her dress. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay?" Amy snapped, gesturing to her ruined costume. "What, are you dense or something? Do you not see my soaked dress and the makeup smeared all over my fucking face?"

Aubrey's eyes widened, never seeing the Australian so angry before. She knew that she was most likely angry about the situation and not actually at Aubrey herself, but her words still stung. "Well, no, I clearly see you're upset-"

" _Upset_?" the blonde shrieked. "Yeah, Brey, I'm a little upset. I was in the middle of a number when this fucking storm came out of nowhere so I had to run home without an umbrella. And then as I'm running, some fucking cock-sucking _cunt_ hit a pot hole as she sped by me and mud got all over my already drenched wig and costume!"

Aubrey stepped back as Amy began to throw her hands about wildly while she spoke. She also made a mental note that Amy's accent was significantly thicker when she was pissed and it was kind of hot.

"And to top it all off," the woman continued, her voice raising. "I got my shoe stuck in a grate, broke my heel, and twisted my goddamn ankle! So yeah, I'm not okay and I'm _very_ upset!" She glared at Aubrey and then went back to trying to peel the dress off her body.

Aubrey swallowed loudly and reached out to help her, her fingers grabbing the zipper. "Here, let me-"

In a flash, Amy spun around, grabbed Aubrey's wrist, and pushed her against the wall, pinning her between her body and the wall. Aubrey hit her head hard on the wall and gasped out in pain, her free hand gripping Amy's hand that was digging into bicep. Amy's eyes were dark, the normal hazel green now turned almost black, and her breathing was heavy in anger. Aubrey knew what Amy was capable of and became scared, not knowing what her normally cheerful roommate was going to do to her. She winced, feeling Amy's nails digging into her wrist and felt the tears start to fall from her eyes.

"Amy," she whimpered. "Please let go. You're hurting me."

Amy stared at her for another moment and then blinked when she noticed the tears falling from Aubrey's eyes. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly let go of the frightened woman, stepping back, her hands shaking. "Aubrey, I-" She shook her head back and forth, her mind racing as she realized what she just did.

Aubrey rubbed at her wrist and stayed near the wall, watching Amy carefully from where she stood. 

"Oh my God," Amy said, bringing a hand to her mouth, her voice thick with emotion. She was disgusted with herself and began to quickly breakdown. It felt like she blacked out for a few minutes, her mind in a fury over something so stupid. Her breathing became labored and she suddenly became dizzy, her hands reaching out to grab on to the counter behind her.

Although Aubrey was still shaken up, she took quick notice that Amy was starting to have a panic attack and hyperventilate. She cautiously walked over to her friend, her hands outstretched in front of her. "Amy," she said gently. "Amy, you need to breathe." 

Amy took in deep breaths, but they weren't releasing properly. "I c-can't believe I... I'm s-so sorry..."

Aubrey closed the distance between them, her hand tangling in Amy's wet hair so she could pull her to her chest. Her arms wrapped securely around the hysterical blonde, feeling Amy cling to her tightly. Aubrey brought her lips to Amy's ear, her hand rubbing up and down Amy's back soothingly as she whispered to her.

"Calm down, Amy. Take a deep breath with me. Inhale slowly..." They both took deep, slow breaths in and then blew them out, repeating the action for the next few minutes. "There you go," Aubrey whispered when she noticed Amy's breathing begin to return to normal. She kissed the crown of Amy's head and pulled back to look her in the eye. "Are you okay now?"

Amy's green eyes stared up at Aubrey, tears freely falling down her cheeks and her lip trembling. "I hurt you," she whispered. "I'm _so_ sorry, Brey."

"I'm fine," Aubrey confessed. Inside, she was still a little shaken up from the ordeal, but she was more worried about Amy's mental health than a few bruises on her arms. "Let's get cleaned up. I'll make us some tea while you take a shower and then we can talk." 

Amy blinked and looked at Aubrey's clothes, realizing she got them all muddy and wet. "Your clothes..." she started to say, but Aubrey waved her off with a warm smile.

"They're just clothes," she said sincerely. She turned Amy around and pulled down the zipper of her dress, helping her step out of it. With a final kiss to Amy's forehead, Aubrey left her alone to shower and change while she went to put on some tea.

Once the kettle was filled and the burner turned on, Aubrey went to change her own clothes, switching her now dirty blue jeans and blouse for a pair of sweatpants and one of Amy's t-shirts that somehow got mixed up with her clothes. She shuffled back to the kitchen just as the kettle began to sing so she grabbed two mugs and tea bags from the cabinet. Careful not to burn herself, Aubrey slowly made her way back to Amy's room, using her hip to bump the door open. 

Amy was sitting on the end of the bed, staring blankly at the floor. She had on a pair of cotton pajama pants and an oversize sweatshirt that read "Australia" on the front, her wet hair pulled into a bun on top of her head with bangs pulled back and out of her face. Aubrey handed her a steaming mug of jasmine tea and sat beside her, cross-legged on the bed. 

They sat in a mostly comfortable silence for a long few moments, Aubrey patiently waiting for Amy to talk and Amy trying to word her thoughts. They sipped at their tea, looking anywhere but each other, and just contemplated what happened. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the distance, the storm growing more intense outside. Aubrey looked at the back of Amy's head and realized maybe she should start the conversation.

She reached a hand out and placed it on Amy's upper back, feeling her stiffen beneath her touch and then relax. She rubbed her shoulders gently and then cupped the back of her neck, her thumb caressing the soft skin behind her ear. "Ames..."

Amy's shoulders hunched over and her chin dropped to her chest as a sob escaped her throat. Aubrey scrambled to take her mug and set their cups of tea on the floor before grabbing Amy's chin and turning her head to catch her tear filled eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Brey," she choked out. "I've tried my whole life to not be like him. I did everything in my power to not turn into him, but I did and I'm so sorry..."

Aubrey frowned, very confused by what Amy just said. She wiped away a few tears from her cheeks and looked into Amy's eyes. "What are you talking about, Amy? Who do you not want to be like?"

Amy looked back at her roommate, her heart shattered and vision blurry from her tears. "My father."

Aubrey's eyes grew wide in understanding and she quickly brought Amy's sobbing form into a strong embrace. A lot of things started to click into place for the older blonde as she whispered soothing words into Amy's ear. She herself had a troubled relationship with her father, but she never understood why Amy didn't want her dad around all the time. She changed her mind she was kidnapped by Fergus, but she still held the hope that maybe Amy could repair the father/daughter relationship over time like she was currently doing with her dad. 

At the revelation that Amy's father was abusive, Aubrey wished she could go to the prison where he was being held and beat the shit out of him. She knew she had to set her own anger aside, though, and be there for Amy as she struggled with the ghosts of her past. She pulled slightly away from Amy and scoot herself back on the bed, silently instructing Amy to do the same so they were now laying down, Amy's head beneath Aubrey's chin, her nose pressed against her neck. Aubrey pulled her as close to her body as she comfortably could, her arms around Amy's shoulders and her hands rubbing up and down the Aussie's back. 

After a few silent moments, Amy took a deep breath, her breathing mostly under control, and she began to explain her childhood to Aubrey, starting from when she was just a little girl and being sent to boarding school. 

"Boarding school?" Aubrey questioned, surprised.

Amy tilted her head back, putting some space between them so they could talk properly. "I was sent to boarding school when I was twelve. My mom didn't want me to go, and I didn't want to leave her with Fergus, but he was very... persuasive. It was almost a relief, though, to not have to deal with my dad every day. But then my mom died when I was fourteen and I began to act out. Unfortunately, my dad was very wealthy and he paid to keep me there until I graduated. I should have been kicked out multiple times, but like I said... he was persuasive and he had a big influence on the school board."

"How did you act out?" Aubrey inquired. "Skipping school? Smoking in the girl's bathroom?" She meant for the comments to lighten the mood, but she saw Amy's eyes shift down, the girl clearly embarrassed.

"I, uh, I had a reputation for sleeping around," she admitted quietly.

"But how would that get you thrown out of school?"

Clearing her throat, Amy shifted slightly. "I slept with my RA's... and a few teachers."

It took everything in Aubrey to not drop her jaw in shock. She opened and closed her mouth, unsure what to say. "Did... did they get fired?"

Amy shrugged, looking honestly unsure of the answer. "Maybe eventually they did? I don't know, really. I was so hung up on trying to piss off my dad that I never paid attention to the consequences that the people around me had to suffer." She finally looked back at Aubrey's concerned face and realized the conclusion the blonde came to. "Oy, it was all consensual, Brey. No one took advantage of me, okay? I participated and seduced them one hundred percent."

Aubrey let out a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing before Amy's eyes which made the girl smile.

"Brey, do you really think I would have let them take advantage of me? My dad started self-defense training me when I was three," she explained. Aubrey's eyebrow quirked up and Amy sighed, licking her lips as she realized she needed to backtrack. "Okay, so, my dad is obviously super dodgy. He smuggled drugs, conned people, you name it and he did it. So at a young age, he started having his men train me to go into the business. My mother was completely against it, something I didn't realize until I was older. It also never occurred to me that he was hitting her. I came home early from training and saw him beating her in the kitchen. I went after him and for the first time he turned his anger on me. It was at that moment that I started to see my father for what he really is. I started to resent him and tried to be with my mom at all times so I could protect her from him, but he shipped me off to boarding school.

"I even started to sleep with his henchmen when I was home for the weekends, just to piss him off. I quickly learned the only way to get rid of him was if I ran away. So as soon as I turned in 18, I booked a one-way flight to America with some cash I took from his stash, changed my name, and enrolled with Barden where I met you lot."

Aubrey smiled wide, remembering the first time she met the girl in her arms. "And the rest is history." She moved a hand from Amy's back to brush a loose strand of hair away from her eyes.

Amy's gaze shifted to Aubrey's wrist and she gently grabbed her arm to get a better look at the small bruise that was forming there. She felt her bottom lip begin to tremble, her thumb softly rubbing the blemished skin. "I don't want to be him, Aubrey."

Aubrey shook her head and placed her palm back on Amy's cheek, making the woman look her in the eye. She smiled sweetly at her and inched slightly closer. "You're nothing like your father, Ames... And you never will be."

"But what happened in the bathroom-"

"You were angry and you got startled when I touched you. Your self-defense instinct kicked in and nothing more," she said sincerely. At Amy's worried expression, she grinned sweetly. "I'm fine, I promise."

Amy stared at her for a moment longer and then let out a sigh before returning to her previous position with her face in Aubrey's warm neck. 

They lay there silently for a long while, listening to the sound of each other's heart beats and the storm outside as it continued on into the evening. Aubrey had never felt more content than she did right now. Amy's soft breathing on her neck and the feeling of her hand pressed into the small of her back, their legs tangled together brought a sense of calm to Aubrey's usually tense body. 

"I'm thinking of dropping out of my doula classes."

" _What_?"

Aubrey winced, cursing her word vomit. She looked down to see Amy's hazel eyes staring back curiously, waiting for an explanation. She bit her lip, looking almost shy for what she was about to say. "I'm not good with kids. That was proven to me when we babysat- well, when _you_ babysat Bella the other day. You were flawless and knew exactly what to do. She cried every time I looked at her. I don't think I'm cut out for being a doula anymore."

"Aubrey, do you _want_ to be a doula? Is that your dream job?"

Aubrey stared at Amy, contemplating her question. Ever since she was a kid she loved babies and wanted to go into the field of being a midwife or doula. She never had the opportunity to be around kids due to her dad's military job; she was moved around most of her childhood and by the time she got to Barden, she was doing everything in her power just to make her dad happy. She never had the chance to really sit back and consider what she wanted to do with her life, but after her life-threatening experience thanks to Amy's dad, she finally admitted to her friends a goal that she hoped to one day achieve.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Aubrey finally answered, "It is my dream job. It has been for the longest time."

Amy smiled brightly, her eyes shining. "Then you should go for it. Don't worry about one bad experience. You're in a training program and you're learning the tricks of the trade. You'll be able to coach those women in no time and get to witness one of the most disgusting, yet beautiful moments anyone could ever witness, okay?" 

Aubrey let out a soft huff of laughter and stared deep into Amy's eyes in adoration. It was at this moment she realized just how close their faces were, their noses barely an inch away from touching. With all the drama of the afternoon behind them, Aubrey was suddenly thrust back into the reality that she had a major toner for Amy. Her heart seemed to jump into her throat and she began to tense up, her mind going a million miles a minute. She couldn't stop her gaze from darting to Amy's lips and then back to her eyes, her cheeks flushing.

Amy, feeling the same thing Aubrey was, inched even closer to her, her eyes fluttering before she whispered, "Kiss me."

Aubrey completely melted at the words and closed the tiny distance between them, her lips pressing into Amy's delicately. 

She felt like laughing and crying all at once, the feeling of the Aussie's lips against her own making her body tingle as wave after wave of emotions coursed through her. When she felt Amy's lips move ever so slightly against her own, she deepened the kiss, capturing Amy's plump bottom lip between hers. 

Amy kissed the girl back eagerly, now addicted to the taste. Her mouth opened and she moaned when she felt Aubrey's tongue swiftly brush hers. They each pulled apart for a quick moment to take a breath before connecting their lips again, their heads tilting at a different angle. 

After a few moments, they simultaneously parted and gazed into each other's eyes. They shared a sweet, heartwarming smile and pressed their foreheads together before closing their eyes and letting sleep overtake them. 


	7. Chapter 7

Amy woke the next morning to the smell of coffee wafting in from the kitchen. She sat up and wiped a hand down her face, flashes from the day before rushing through her mind. With a frown, she stood from the bed and shuffled out of the room, a yawn escaping her as she entered the kitchen. Aubrey was standing by the window, leaning against the counter with a mug held between her hands. She didn't look up when Amy grabbed a cup from the cabinet and Amy narrowed her eyes, wondering why the other girl was ignoring her. 

After she poured herself a cup of coffee, she leaned against the counter opposite Aubrey, peering at her silently. She could read the uncertainty in the blonde's eyes, see questions passing through her mind, and feel the tension in the room. With a smirk, Amy set the mug down loudly, gaining Aubrey's attention. She stalked over and peered up at her, a soft smile on her lips. Reaching up, Amy cupped Aubrey's jaw, tilting her face so she could stare deep into her eyes. She knew the girl had so many doubts about what happened the night before, but Amy knew exactly what she wanted.   
  
"Come here," she mumbled, guiding Aubrey's face down so she could capture her lips in a gentle kiss.   
  
Aubrey kissed her back tentatively, her hands still clutching the mug of coffee. It wasn't until she felt the tip of Amy's tongue brush her lips that she realized this was indeed happening. Keeping her lips pressed to the Aussie's, she blindly sat the mug down on the counter and wrapped her arms around Amy's neck, opening her mouth to her prying tongue. She moaned and molded their bodies together, feeling Amy's hands slide from her face to around her waist, her small hands clutching at Aubrey's shirt. Their tongues brushed and the kiss deepened, both girls trembling in each other's arms. Neither wanted to break the kiss, but air was a necessity so their lips parted, but their foreheads pressed together as they panted heavily. 

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Aubrey whispered honestly, a blush creeping onto her already flushed cheeks.

Amy smiled and pecked her lips quickly, her hand caressing the tall girl's back softly. "Me too," she said back.

Aubrey pulled her face away, her hand moving from Amy's shoulder to cup her jaw, her thumb brushing her cheek. She looked into the Aussie's eyes deeply, searching for honesty. "Really?"

Amy's eyes flickered back and forth between Aubrey's, seeing the vulnerability behind them, and thought about her answer. "Truthfully, I didn't realize it until a couple weeks ago, but I think in the back of my mind, I've always had a crush on you. I just pushed it aside, though. It wasn't until we moved in together that those feelings began to resurface."

"And now?" Aubrey asked, her heart racing. "What are we? What does this mean? Because I've been crushing on you so hard for years, Amy."

Again, Amy grinned and tried to pull her impossibly closer, loving the feel of Aubrey's chest pressed into her own. "I'm not exactly sure what any of this means, but if I'm being completely honest, I don't think I can go back to being just friends with you."

Aubrey felt all the tension fall from her shoulders and let a huge smile grace her lips. "So, we're really doing this?"

"I'm all in if you are," Amy replied, her eyes glancing down at Aubrey's mouth, wanting to feel it pressed against her own. 

Aubrey responded by kissing her again, harder than before. She pushed Amy back to the counter opposite them and the short blonde moaned when the hard surface hit her ass. She raised a knee up to Aubrey's hip and put her hands on the counter top, lifting herself up onto it without detaching their lips. Aubrey stepped between Amy's open legs, feeling her calves wrap around her waist. 

Both girls groaned in frustration when the sound of Aubrey's phone ringing interrupted them. Instead of parting completely, Aubrey reached around to grab the item off the other counter and answered the phone while Amy leaned in to place kisses along her neck. 

"Hello?" she growled into the device. Her hands tangled in Amy's hair, holding her as her pecking kisses switched to sucking on Aubrey's skin where her pulse throbbed in her neck. 

Amy nipped at Aubrey's neck, soothing the spot with her tongue. Her fingers danced along the edge of her shirt, lifting it up so she could touch the skin on her stomach. She smirked when Aubrey audibly gasped in the midst of her phone call.

"Listen, Ronnie, I-uh, I gotta go. I'll seen you in a few minutes, okay? All right. Bye." Aubrey tossed the phone next to where Amy sat and grabbed her face in her hands, bringing her lips down to the short woman's.

"Babe," Amy mumbled into her mouth, trying to pull away so she could look up at Aubrey. "Not that I'm complaining because I'd love nothing more than to makeout with you all day, but you said you'll see Ronnie in a few minutes?"

Aubrey sighed and dropped her face into Amy's neck, holding her tighter. "Those dumbasses are clueless without me. I wasn't supposed to go in until noon today." 

Amy chuckled and kissed Aubrey's hair. "Just think, the earlier you go in, the earlier you get off work and get to come home to me."

Aubrey lifted her head and stared lovingly into Amy's green eyes. "God, that sounds amazing."

Their lips met again in a deep kiss, but Amy was the one to break it a minute later, pushing the girl away from her so she could hop down from the counter. She gave Aubrey a few pats on her ass and pushed her out of the kitchen so she could get ready for work. 

* * *

"Amy?" Beca called out as she entered the apartment. She put the keys in her jacket pocket and stalked down the hallway, listening for any sign of movement.

"Hey," Amy said, walking out of the living room. She was wearing a button down blouse and a pair of leggings, her hair in pigtail braids. 

Beca looked her up and down, noticing the glint in the Aussie's eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest accusingly. "You got laid."

Amy's eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting up. "What?" she shrieked, the shake in her voice giving her away.

"I lived with you for years, Ames," Beca reminded her, watching as the blonde made herself busy by opening the fridge and peering at the food inside. "I know your 'I just got fucked face' like the back of my hand."

In retrospect, Amy should have been annoyed by that comment, but given their history and Amy's knack for sharing way too much information against Beca's wishes, she honestly wasn't surprised. She spun around after finding nothing to distract her from this conversation and sighed loudly, avoiding eye contact. "Look, it's not what you think," she started. "I haven't had sex in..." She narrowed her eyes, humbled by the amount of time it had been since she slept with someone. "A long fucking time, actually..."

Beca regarded her best friend, cocking her hip out as her arms stayed crossed over her chest. "So what's with the face, then?" she asked curiously. "Something definitely happened to warrant the face."

"Stop referring to my current expression as ' _the face_ '," she snapped. With a roll of her eyes, she glanced at the counter where earlier that morning she was pressed so perfectly against Aubrey's body, and a blush rose up her chest to her cheeks. "I did do something, though," she confessed quietly.

Beca smirked. "I knew it."

Amy cleared her throat and bit her lip. "I kind of had a breakdown yesterday and Aubrey took care of me. And we kinda- well, I mean, I asked her to..."

"You had sex with Aubrey!" Beca exclaimed, pointing at Amy and hopping in place excitedly.

Shaking her head, Amy grabbed Beca's finger and pushed her arm down. "No, we didn't have sex."

"But..."

Amy couldn't stop the smile that broke out. "But we totally made out last night and this morning."

"Oh my God!" Beca thew her arms unexpectedly around Amy, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for you guys! Fucking _finally_ , dude!"

Amy pushed the brunette off her with a laugh. "Calm down, will you? It's very new and I'm still kind of reeling myself."

Beca squealed nonetheless, grabbing Amy's hands. "This is so exciting. Chloe is gonna freak!"

"Oi, wait until Aubrey tells her, though. She doesn't even know I'm telling you. This literally happened a few hours ago." 

Again, Beca shrieked, jumping up and down. Once she was done with her little freak out, she took a long look at Amy and felt her heart melt. "Amy," she grabbed the other girl's face in her hands. "You look really happy."

Amy beamed, nodding slowly. "I haven't been this happy in so long."

Beca grinned in return and then spun around, taking Amy's hand in her own as she led her to the living room. "Now, normally I stray from your detailed stories, but I want to know everything about you and Aubs. So park it on the couch, I'll go make some popcorn." She shoved the girl onto the couch forcefully and moved back into the kitchen, Amy's laugh echoing behind her.

* * *

Aubrey slammed the apartment door behind her, her legs moving swiftly as she dropped her things on the floor, not caring about the mess she left behind. She heard the TV on in the living room so she rushed in to see Amy lounging back on the couch, the remote danging from her fingers. 

Amy sat up slightly at the distraught look on her roommate's face. "Brey?"

Aubrey stared at her, her chest heaving and her eyes wide. In a flash, she was straddling Amy, her mouth demanding kisses. Amy was surprised by the sudden movement, but did not protest in the slightest. She opened her mouth so their tongues could tangle and grabbed Aubrey's jean covered ass. Aubrey thrust up against Amy's lap and moved her hands from the Aussie's shoulders to the buttons on her shirt. She undid them one by one, moaning as she slipped her hand in and felt Amy's bare chest beneath her palms. 

Amy gasped, parting from their kiss to watch Aubrey play with her breasts, the throbbing she felt between her legs since they first kissed this morning increasing tenfold. She bucked up, seeing the smirk form on Aubrey's lips at the motion and moaned when she pinched her aching nipples.

Aubrey moved back slightly, lifting off of Amy so she could grab the girl's thigh and place it on her hip and then scoot herself even closer so their crotches were now pressed together. Amy's eyes widened at the new position, surprised.

Taking notice of Amy's shocked expression, Aubrey bit her lip, her fingers still gripping her thigh with one hand, the other placed on the back of the couch by Amy's head. "Is this okay?" she asked, her voice meek. "I've been thinking about this literally all day."

Amy answered her by grinding up, the friction between Aubrey's jeans and her leggings making them both moan. Aubrey took that as a good sign and started to move her hips in circles, feeling the build up of her release already creeping up on her. Amy's hands stayed on Aubrey's ass, guiding her movements in perfect time. She leaned up, capturing Aubrey's lips between her own and felt her thighs begin to shake. 

They continued to move together for a few minutes, their breathing coming out in pants in between kisses until finally, they came together, their bodies trembling as they groaned. Their kisses turned lazy and Amy leaned to the side so they were now laying down on the couch, Aubrey's shirt covered chest pressing to her bare one and their legs tangled together. 

"Wow," Amy whispered eventually when they parted for air. "Can we do that every time you come home?"

Aubrey chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry I was so brazen. I just was going crazy all day thinking about you and knowing that you want me too and I just... my mind went blank the second I saw you."

"Hey," Amy cupped Aubrey's jaw so she could look her in the eye. "You do not have to apologize at all. I've been going crazy too. I couldn't wait until you got home just so I could touch you again."

They stared at each other for a few moments, the reality of their deep feelings for each other settling in. 

"We've really fallen hard, haven't we?" Amy asked.

Aubrey nodded, her eyes gleaming with happiness. "All in?"

Amy grinned and kissed her hard before pulling away, her fingers tangling in her blonde locks. "All in."


End file.
